How To Create A Luxurious Living Room
You’ve started decorating your living room, you’ve changed the flooring, chosen the sofa and curtains but how do you finish it off to create that luxurious look? No matter how you try, it never seems to look right or you aren’t sure what finishing pieces to choose and how to display them.
This is something I hear a lot and I understand the frustrations You’ve spent hours on Instagram and Pinterest and know exactly what you like, so why is it so difficult to achieve?
Without a doubt styling your living room is the secret sauce to bringing everything together. I know by the time you’ve bought everything else there doesn’t seem to be enough left over to indulge in this final step but I would urge you to persevere and take the plunge, you won’t regret it.
Not only will it enhance all the pieces in your home, you will also create your very own unique style by displaying items that mean something to you as well as pieces that you are drawn to and speak your style. Luxury doesn’t mean throw away accessories for your home, I l like to choose decorative home accessories that are classic and have longevity.
Image source - Sophie Paterson Interiors
As you can see in the image above which is the home of one of my favourite interior designers, Sophie Paterson, this look is the epitome of a lux living room. The silk grasscloth used on the walls, the exquisite mix of fabrics used in curtains and soft furnishings this room is perfectly executed as what I like to call liveable luxury, it’s still warm and welcoming.
The Elements Of Luxury Styling
There are a five elements to put in place in a room which helps deliver the look you want to create when designing a beautiful living room.
Texture
Scent
Contrast
Metallics
Life
Texture
Adding luxurious fabrics and wallpapers not only add texture, they also level up the furnishings in your living room. A beautiful silk grasscloth wall covering exudes luxury, Incorporating fabrics of velvet, linen and silk add another elegant layer. Installing curtains which are made bespoke for your living room feel and look timeless.
Scent
We all love and remember when we enter a room that smells amazing. This can be fresh flowers, seasonal scented candles or diffusers, see below a few of my favourites scented candle ranges which are my go to.
Contrast
Adding contrast to your vignettes (little groupings of objects). Creating balance and interest with different shapes. You wouldn’t add too many straight line objects but rather soften this with a few rounded shapes.
Metallics
Every room deserves a little glamour. It doesn’t matter if your style is traditional or contemporary and adding luxurious finishes to your living room will enhance your space. Decor trends for 2023 include silver finishes (don’t worry if you’ve swapped everything out for brass - it’s all about mixing the metals). Stone and bold, deep veined marble are worth investing in.
The trick is to mix up your metallics, gold and silvers add some glamour to your living room especially at night by candle light. This can be displaying decorative objects like a trinket box, or dish. A gold tray on a coffee table or silver candle holders on a fireplace.
Mixing rough with the smooth makes for a luxurious and elegant look.
Life
Home styling with plants really do bring texture and form to your living room they can also improve the quality of air in your home. If you aren’t green fingered and it’s just too much hassle then invest in good quality faux flowers or plants (you do have to spend more to get an authentic look).
How to style a luxurious living room
Image source - Sophie Paterson
Arrangement
Odd number groupings work best
Use the 3, 5 or 7 rule
Height - arrange accessories in different height levels
Include a statement piece
Areas To Style
Coffee Tables
Bookshelves
Console Tables
Fireplace
Start with your books, say two stacks on a rectangular coffee table at each end, add in a vase for height. Create different height levels by adding in various small items, say a candle or bowl on top of the books.
Play around with it and have fun.
I’ve created a Styling Essential PDF which you can download here>>
Cushions
Bringing cushions together in your overall theme, colour and texture will help bring the look together. Mixing cushions in luxurious fabrics, velvets and linen mixed with pattern silk perhaps. Having cushions made bespoke is a game changer, I am the queen of cushions when it comes to adding those finishing touches, there’s nothing quite like having them designed in your colours that complement your room. Adding trimmings or double piping in a contrast colour are the fine details that speak luxury in an interior which connect and echo other carefully selected pieces in a room.
Rugs
Don’t overlook the importance of using the right size rug, this will make all the difference, most make the mistake of going too small. I generally like to have all furniture on to the rug or at least the front legs of furniture. Layering rugs is another way I like to introduce texture or pattern in a room. For example you could have a really large inexpensive area rug and place a beautiful pattern rug in silk wool which is like a piece of art, and place this on top.
